Mary Cynthia Walsh (born May 13, 1952) is a Canadian actress, comedian, and writer."Mary Walsh". The Canadian Encyclopedia, January 1, 2012. She is known for her work on CODCO and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Early life Walsh was born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, the daughter of Mary and Leo Walsh. Leo was a merchant marine turned firefighter on commercial vessels. She is the seventh of eight children, and is of Irish ancestry. She is a past member of Girl Guides of Canada.
Career Walsh studied theatre in Toronto at Ryerson University but dropped out to work with the CODCO comedy troupe on a series of stage shows, which eventually evolved into a sketch comedy series. The CODCO series ran from 1988 to 1993 on CBC Television.
This Hour Has 22 Minutes In 1992, she began to work with former co-star Rick Mercer and former CODCO co-stars Cathy Jones and Greg Thomey to create a new television series called This Hour Has 22 Minutes. The show was a parody of the nightly news, and poked fun at Canadian and international politics. 22 Minutes received strong ratings during its earlier seasons and Walsh's character Marg Delahunty became famous for buttonholing politicians and submitting them to satirical interviews. Usually Marg Delahunty would recite a scripted piece intended to humiliate the politician, often by providing criticism and "grandmotherly" advice. Sometimes Marg appeared as "Marg, Princess Warrior", a parody of the title character of Xena: Warrior Princess portrayed by Lucy Lawless. Walsh is also noted for her comical segment chronicling the Canadian Auto Workers Union's tense blockade of the Volvo Halifax Assembly plant in 1998. In 2007, she revived Marg Delahunty for the Royal Canadian Air Farce's 300th episode. On October 24, 2011, Walsh was once again in the spotlight as she reprised the role of Marg Delahunty conducting an ambush interview of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford at his home. Ford's reaction and alleged verbal abuse directed at a 911 operator made national headlines. She also reprised Marg, Princess Warrior for an episode of the 25th season of 22 Minutes in December 2017. Marg was reprised again for National Canadian Film Day on April 16, 2025 to "Fight in the 2025 Trade War"
In 2020, Walsh reprised her longtime 22 Minutes character of Miss Eulalia in the CBC Gem web series Broad Appeal: Living with E's,Eric Volmers, "Mary Walsh and Cathy Jones will not go gentle into old age in web series as Mrs. Eulalia and Mrs. Enid". Calgary Herald, March 31, 2021. for which she received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Lead Performance in a Web Program or Series at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards in 2022.Brent Furdyk, "2022 Canadian Screen Award Nominees Announced, ‘Sort Of’ & ‘Scarborough’ Lead The Pack" . ET Canada, February 15, 2022.
Other work Walsh's other television work included the short-run sitcoms Dooley Gardens (1999); Hatching, Matching and Dispatching (2006); and a guest starring role as Miranda Cahill on the CBC television series Republic of Doyle. She currently has a recurring role on CBC's Little Dog. She created the CBC program Mary Walsh: Open Book, a talk show about books and literature, in 2003. Walsh revived the Fury family from Hatching, Matching, and Dispatching by writing and starring in A Christmas Fury in 2017.
Besides TV acting, she has worked on movies such as Mambo Italiano, Geraldine's Fortune, Rain, Drizzle and Fog, Buried on Sunday, The Divine Ryans, Young Triffie, Violet, and The Grand Seduction.
2004 saw Walsh host a segment on the CBC documentary series The Greatest Canadian, in which she championed the case for Sir Frederick Banting (the Nobel prize-winning discoverer of insulin) as the greatest Canadian who ever lived.
In June 2007, she hosted the Pride Toronto Gala & Awards ceremony.
On December 15, 2007, Walsh made national news with a story about her upcoming special, Nudity, Sexuality, Violence and Coarse Language, in which a large group of people who went and stripped naked standing next to St. John's Harbour in −11 °C (12 °F) weather to be filmed as a part of the show's closing. Walsh herself did not go nude.
In 2017, Walsh published her debut novel, Crying for the Moon."Mary Walsh adds new novel to creative resume". The Vancouver Sun, May 3, 2017. In 2026, Walsh published Brassy Bit of Aging Crumpet: A Memoir in Pieces, a collection of essays that detail her time growing up, her relationship with her family, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of her CBC shows, including This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Directing Walsh made her feature directorial debut with the 2007 movie Young Triffie. She was the first Newfoundlander in six years to have a film in general release across Canada.
Personal life Walsh has battled alcoholism. The Toronto Star reported that the end of CODCO coincided with the end of Walsh's active alcoholism, with Walsh stating "which was a damn good thing because I could have never done This Hour Has 22 Minutes if I'd been drinking."
Honours
Performing arts She won Best Supporting Actress at the Atlantic Film Festival in 1992 for her performance in Mike Jones' Secret Nation.
On November 4, 2006, Walsh and Ed MacDonald picked up a Gemini Award for the best writing in a comedy or variety program for their work in Hatching, Matching and Dispatching.
She has won 18 Gemini Awards. She won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021, for the film Happy Place.Zach Harper, "'Schitt's Creek' and 'Kim's Convenience' win big at 2021 Canadian Screen Awards". Hello! Canada, May 21, 2021.
Walsh received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts, in 2012.
At the 2025 Atlantic International Film Festival, she won the Joan Orenstein & David Renton Award for Outstanding Performance in Acting, for her performance in Dancing on the Elephant.Andrew Tracy, "Sk+te’kmujue’katik, Little Lorraine top award winners at AIFF". Playback, September 15, 2025.
Charity and activism A sufferer of macular degeneration, she has served from time to time as a spokesperson for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).
In 1993, Walsh was chosen to deliver the prestigious Graham Spry lecture which was broadcast nationally on CBC Radio.
In 1994, Walsh addressed the United Nations Global Conference on Development in New York. She has also served as a spokesperson for Oxfam, Canada's human rights campaign, and in 2010 received Oxfam's Spirit of Change Award, in recognition of her years of dedication to eradicating poverty and ensuring public services for all.
On May 29, 1998, Mary Walsh received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Trent University.Trentu.ca
McGill University honoured Walsh with an honorary doctorate during the November 2008 convocation ceremony. Her speech to the class of 2008 focused on political satire.
National Honours Mary Walsh was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada on 27 April 2000. This gave her the Post Nominal Letters "CM" for Life. She was awarded the Canadian Version of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. She was awarded the Canadian Version of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.
Filmography
Film Film Year Title Role Notes 1976 Dolly Cake N/A Short film Writer 1983 Stations 1986 The Adventure of Faustus Bidgood Heady Nolan Production manager Casting director1992 Buried on Sunday 2nd Biker Secret Nation Oona Vokey 1998 Extraordinary Visitor Marietta 1998 Rain Drizzle and Fog Herself Documentary1999 New Waterford Girl Cookie Pottie The Divine Ryans Aunt Phil Ryans 2000 Violet Violet O'Brien2001 The Frank Truth Herself Documentary Tommy... A Family Portrait Herself Documentary2003 Behind the Red Door Anna Mambo Italiano Lina Paventi 2004 Geraldine's Fortune Rose Owens 2005 Bailey's Billion$ N/A Co-writer 2007 Young Triffie Aunt Millie Bishop Also known as:Young Triffie's Been Made Away With Director Producer2009 Crackie Bride Grown Up Movie Star Receptionist 2010 Poor No More Herself/host 2012 Imaginary Heroine Short film Writer 2013 The Grand Seduction Vera Incident at Elysian Fields Yvonne Short film 2014 How to Be Deadly Dot Power 2015 Closet Monster Allison 2016 The Inn Of Olde Sadie Short Film2019 Radical Short film Apocalyptic Rant Marg Delahunty Short film 2020 Happy Place Mildred 2021 Dad and the Fridge Box N/A Writer Producer 2023 Sweetland Queenie 2024 Deaner '89 May 2025 Dancing on the Elephant Edna 2026 Purgatory Mrs. Nash
Television Television Year Title Role Notes 1974 Cod on a Stick Various 1975 Peep Show Various Part of CODCO 1978 The Root Seller Various 6 episodes Writer - 6 episodes 1980 Up at Ours Verna Ball Miniseries 1980-1983 Wonderful Grand Band Various 1986–1989 CODCO Various 35 episodes Writer - 35 episodes Producer - 21 episodes 1992 The Boys of St. Vincent: 15 Years Later Lenora Pardy Miniseries 1993–2013 This Hour Has 22 Minutes Various 122 Episodes 1995-1997 The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon Willomena / Princess 3 episodes 1996 Genie Awards Herself/host TV special1997 The New Adventures of Robin Hood Police Guard #1 Season 2 episode 9: "Outlaw Express" Major Crime Patty Reckles TV movie 1998 Emily of New Moon Miss Pick Season 2 episode 6: "By the Rivers of Babylon" 1998–1999 The Rosie O'Donnell Show N/A Writer - 193 Episodes1999 Lexx Heedia Season 2 episode 13: "Twilight" Dooley Gardens Marilyn Benoit 7 Episodes Life and Times Herself Season 4 episode 1: "Mary Walsh: Princess Warrior 2000 Our Daily Bread Edna Barkhouse TV movie2002 The Joke's on Us: 50 Years of CBC Satire Herself Documentary Bleacher Bums Rose TV movie Random Passage Mrs. Armstrong Miniseries 2003 The Strategic Humour Initiative Herself/co-host 2003-2004 Mary Walsh: Open Book Host Writer Producer 2004 The Greatest Canadian Herself Advocate for Sir Frederick Banting 2005–2006 Hatching, Matching and Dispatching Mamie Lou Furey Writer Producer 2006 The Wind in the Willows Washerwoman TV movie 2007 Who Do you Think You Are? Herself Episode 7: "Mary Walsh"2008 Sophie Sarah Sloane Season 1 episode 12: "Read the Signs" Gossip Carolyn Johnson Wright TV movie The Quality of Life Katherine Greenborne TV movie 2009 Murdoch Mysteries Sally Smoot Season 2 episode 6: "Shades of Grey" 2010 Great Canadian Books Herself 2 episodes 2010–2014 Republic of Doyle Miranda Cahill 2 episodes 2012 Little Mosque on the Prairie Mayor Glenda Beckford Season 6 episode 8: "Finders Weepers" 2014–2016 Sensitive Skin Sarah Thorn 2 episodes 2015 Rookie Blue Odelle Season 6 episode 3: "Uprising" 2016 Slasher Verna McBride Season 1: The Executioner Episode 1: "An Eye for an Eye" 2017 A Christmas Fury Mamie Lou Fur TV movie Writer 2018 Little Dog Tucker 12 episodes2020 Hudson & Rex Vicky Gumble Season 2 episode 13: "In Pod We Trust" Canada's Drag Race Herself/Guest Host Season 1 episode 5: "Snatch Game" 2020–2021 Broad Appeal: Living with E's Miss Eulalia 2021–present The Missus Downstairs The Missus Writer Producer Director2024Resident AlienPatty Baker2 episodes
Bibliography Crying for the Moon: A Novel (April 18, 2017 HarperCollins, )
Brassy Bit of Aging Crumpet: A Memoir in Pieces (March 31, 2026 HarperCollins, )
References
External links